peppermint tea
by Limmykins123
Summary: they are not okay, but they are getting there. sasusaku, sasuke-centric. one-shot.


She said she would wait for him.

That sentence played on loop in his head throughout the years he was away. From the endless hours spent training with Orochimaru to traveling across the nations with Taka, Sasuke thought of Sakura.

He thought of the way her face scrunched up when she was angry about a remark Naruto (dobe) made. Or the way her hands felt when they wrapped around his that time she handed him a cup of peppermint tea (it was his favorite kind). He remembered her hair floating around her, almost like an aura. But most of all, he remembered the way she made him feel.

Sasuke also wondered how much she had changed while he had been gone.

Was she stronger? Had she forgive him for almost killing her? Did she still remember what kind of tea he liked?

He really hoped she did.

* * *

The war happened.

Sasuke could not remember exactly how it all went down, but he did remember one thing:

he was by her side.

She had grown strong. Watching Sakura kill enemy after enemy, kicking and punching and beating and fighting ignited an odd feeling in him (was it pride? or guilt?). He wished he had been there to see her grow, maybe even teach her a katon justu or two. She seemed to have mastered the art of healing just as she had killing; she was a healer while he was just a killer. Sasuke could not help as he watched her decimate the battle field, destroying everything in her path. The sheer force she held in her hands shocked him, and for the first time in a long time, Sasuke felt _sorry_ for her opponents.

They locked eyes as she broke the earth beneath their feet, and Sasuke knew she was stronger than he could ever imagine.

* * *

The war was over, and they were pushed together once again.

Naruto dragged the both of them to Ichiraku's on every occasion he could. They settled into their own little routine; Sasuke in the middle, flanked by Sakura to his left and Naruto to his right. One beef ramen, a vegetarian and a pork ramen (with extra egg!) were nestled between the trio as they quietly talked and joked amongst one another. As normal as they seemed to the outside world, Sasuke noticed things were not exactly as they were. Naruto tip-toed over any mention of Itachi, Asuma, Jiraiya, Neji (god, how many had they lost?) and kept the topic on training or something light hearted. Sasuke noticed how his shoulders slumped every now, how his voice cracked when talking about the times when Sasuke wasn't there. Naruto just wanted the old Team 7 back, and was desperately trying to make it work.

And then there was her.

Sakura from the past would have jumped at the chance to be close to Sasuke. It was always 'Sasuke-kun' this, or 'Sasuke-kun' that. He never knew how much he would miss that damn suffix she insisted on until it was gone. She was not the same as she used to be. Now, her body language screamed discomfort, when it used to be love. Sasuke could not miss the way she squirmed in her stool and flinched away whenever he would lift up his chopsticks. He wondered if she was thinking of _that_ time. The way his hand had been on her neck, how he had almost killed her. Sasuke doesn't like to dwell on the past nowadays, but he knows that if Kakashi had not saved her, Sakura would not be slurping ramen by his side.

Soon after finishing their ramen, the trio paid, said their goodbyes, and departed.

Sasuke and Sakura lived in the same part of the village, so they usually walked home together after these gatherings. They chatted about idle topics, from how the hospital was doing to the new weapons Sasuke was integrating into his arsenal. God knows he was trying; Sasuke usually couldn't keep up these types of conversations, but for Sakura, he would do anything. He always asked her questions about medical ninjutsu. The way her face lit up gave Sasuke a funny feeling in the put of his stomach that he couldn't quite place. She rattled off different techniques and practices associated with each healing style until they were at the door of her building. Sasuke gave a small nod and began to walk away when he felt something grab his hand.

It was her.

She looked him in the eyes and gave a small smile. She squeezed his hand, then turned away and went into her apartment.

Sasuke knew that while they were not healed, they were getting there.

* * *

It was snowing and Sasuke found himself at Sakura's house.

In the months since his return to Konoha, Sasuke had taken to rebuilding the Uchiha compound. He built up the place from scratch really; he had torn down the walls, thrown out the furniture and purged the home of all its demons. He wanted to honor his family's memory by living there, but still wanted to make the space his own. He couldn't handle seeing the couch his mother used to lay on, or the wall on which her blood had been stained. For now, he was alone in the house. Maybe one day, he could share it (with her).

Despite Sasuke's meticulous refurbishing, he had not reinforced the ceiling to withstand extreme weather. So, when the storm of the century hit, his roof collapsed and Sasuke wound up at Sakura's doorstep.

The way she smiled when she saw him at the door made his stomach do flip flops.

Sakura had let him in and Sasuke was immediately greeted with the scent of vanilla and medical textbooks strewn across the floor. The place was so _Sakura_ he could not help but smirk. He maneuvered his way around and eventually sat down on the couch. Sakura was in the kitchen, but came in soon after carrying two steaming mugs. She set them onto the table and sat down next to Sasuke. After a couple minutes of silence, Sakura scooted closer and closer until their arms touched.

She leaned her head onto his shoulder and sighed. They sat like this for a couple minutes before Sasuke heard deep breathing. He turned his head to see that Sakura had dozed off. Smiling, Sasuke looked at her for a while before he leaned towards her. He checked her breathing once more to assure she was asleep and moved his hand. Sasuke tapped her forehead (just like Itachi used to). He sat back for some time before looking at the table in front of him. He had almost forgotten the tea Sakura had made for them.

Sasuke reached for the mug and brought it up to his lips. He tasted peppermint, and knew that everything was going to be alright.

* * *

hey guys! this is my first fic so lemme know what u think! I just wanted to write this bc I really think Sasuke and sakura needed time to work out their issues, and Im not fond of how some fics push them together right after he comes back. he tried to kill! her for gods sake so its gonna take some time for both of them to be comfortable around one another. I like soft sasuke so I hope I did right by him here... thank u!:)


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